Friday, February 25, 2011

Poetry Friday: "O Frabjous Day!"

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!"

My husband, an amateur actor, loves to recite these lines (and all the rest of them) from Lewis Carroll's remarkable poem "Jabberwocky." People who only know my husband's everyday persona -- gentle, shy -- are often astounded into silence when they first get a glimpse of his confident, humorous acting persona. I've long since reconciled the two parts of his personality, loving them both, but I still delight in seeing jaws drop when my husband moves into actor mode. It's one reason I enjoy this poem so much.

And now here's another...the other day I came across this delightful ASL version of the poem. "O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" I must confess I have never heard of ASL poetry until recently, and I am completely fascinated. It seems to combine all sorts of skills: poetry making, translation, performance art.

8 comments:

"Jabberwocky" always makes me think of Jane of Lantern Hill, where even sheltered and stifled Jane knows what "brillig" means, and also of Lord Peter Wimsey, whose favorite expression when delighted was "O frabjous day!" An odd combination, but it just goes to show that Carroll's works have penetrated every corner of society!

Fascinating! I followed most of it, but I particularly loved "...and as in uffish thought he stood, the Jaberwock, with eyes of flame..." I, too, love to recite Jaberwocky, although no one would drop a jaw at my apparent dual personality!

I once stunned a class I was supply teacher to into incredulous silence with the Jabberwocky - such a wonderful poem. And the amazing ASL version you point to just goes to show that it is completely clear what it all means!

About Me

C.S. Lewis once wrote: "I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes, and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books." Although my list of influences would be slightly different, it would most likely end on the same note. I have been a bookworm all my life.